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Gonzalez to Start Season In Minors, Barton Out With Hand Soreness

Bucky — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:11:08 +0000

Despite an impressive Cactus League performance, the A’s Carlos Gonzalez was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento when Oakland’s 25-man roster was set on Sunday. Oakland GM Billy Beane expects Gonzalez’s time in the minors to be short, and says that he just needs to get some at-bats and play every day. This seems reasonable, considering that he has only 42 career at-bats in Triple-A. This appears to have been the A’s thinking all along this spring with Gonzalez.
Rookie Daric Barton missed the game on Saturday, citing hand soreness. This is the same injury he was bothered by earlier this spring, so fantasy owners might want to be wary. He expects to play in the A’s home opener on Tuesday.

A’s Prospect Watch: Gonzalez, Eveland

Bucky — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:37:06 +0000

Carlos Gonzalez, acquired by Oakland in the Dan Haren trade, has been out for a week with a strained hamstring and did not accompany the A’s to Japan for their season-opening series against the Red Sox. However, Manager Bob Geren says that he will play Gonzalez at center field when they play the Giants in the preseason Bay Bridge Series starting this Friday. Geren will then decide if he will include the 21-year-old on the 25-man roster, which must be finalized by April 1st. Gonzalez hit .360 this spring, to go with a tremendous arm and defensive skills. If he makes the roster, fantasy owners should look to pick him up, especially in deep leagues.
Geren also noted that Dana Eveland, also acquired in the Haren trade, would be the A’s 5th starter. Eveland has looked fantastic this spring, putting up a 1.20 ERA in 15 IP.

Carlos Gonzalez Impresses A’s Staff, Bids for Opening Day Spot

MLB Prospect News — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:32:10 +0000

A’s outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez has had a strong showing already since arriving to Spring Training on Thursday. Mark Thoma of MLB.com reports:

Manager Bob Geren said Gonzalez was “very impressive to a lot of the staff” Thursday, both in batting practice and the way he tracked down balls in the outfield.

The 22-year-old could make critics of the Dan Haren trade eat their words if he earns an Opening Day roster spot. Thought of by many experts as the top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, last year Gonzalez hit .288 with 17 home runs and 86 RBIs, and in 2006, led Class A in slugging percentage (.562) and had the sixth most extra-base hits (68) in the Minors. Unfortunately, Gonzalez still lacks patience at the plate (162 walks, 455 strike-outs in 2,106 Minor League ABs). Anyone who’s read Moneyball knows that a ratio like that doesn’t sit well with the A’s.